Tag: NASA

NASA Astronauts Scott Kelly (left) and Kjell Lindgren will conduct two spacewalks to upgrade and service the International Space Station on Oct. 28 and Nov. 6.

NASA astronauts Scott Kelly and Kjell Lindgren will begin the first of two spacewalks Wednesday morning to service and upgrade the International Space Station. The duo have completed reviewing their procedures, preparing their U.S. spacesuits and organizing their tools inside the U.S. Quest airlock. NASA Television will cover the spacewalk live beginning at 6:30 a.m. EDT.

They will spend six hours and 30 minutes to cover the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer with a thermal blanket, lubricate the leading edge of the Canadarm2 and route power and data cables for a future docking port. This will be the first spacewalk for both astronauts who will also be assisted from inside the station by Japanese astronaut Kimiya Yui. Monitoring the activities from the ground will be Tracy Caldwell, a veteran of three spacewalks.

Meanwhile, on the Russian side of the orbital laboratory, the trio of veteran cosmonauts stayed focused on their ongoing maintenance and science activities. Sergey Volkov spent time assisting Kelly and Lindgren today then looked at how the immune system is affected by stress in space. One-Year crew member Mikhail Kornienko explored blood circulation adaptation then worked on cargo transfers from the Progress 60 resupply ship. Oleg Kononenko studied material physics as he observed plasma crystals and liquid crystals.

Two astronauts are getting ready for a six-hour, 30-minute spacewalk Wednesday morning. They and the rest of the Expedition 45 crew also worked on international science and laboratory maintenance.

Commander Scott Kelly and Flight Engineer Kjell Lindgren are preparing for two spacewalks on Oct. 28 and Nov. 6 to upgrade and service the International Space Station. Lindgren was assisted by Japanese astronaut Kimiya Yui checking out the SAFER spacesuit jetpacks a spacewalker would use in the unlikely event they became untethered from the station. Kelly collected and organized the spacewalk tools he and Lindgren will use during both spacewalks. Watch a 3D animation illustrating the Oct. 28 spacewalk activities.

Kelly started his day with Mikhail Kornienko, his One-Year mission crewmate, as they swapped turns on the Fine Motor Skills experiment. Yui spent his morning stowing a small satellite deployer that ejected 14 Cubesats outside the Kibo lab module a few weeks ago.

The crew started their day checking out Cubesat gear and researching a wide variety of science to benefit humanity on and off Earth. Later, two astronauts tried on their spacesuits to ensure a good fit before next week’s spacewalk.

Commander Scott Kelly and Flight Engineer Kjell Lindgren were in the Kibo lab module Thursday morning inspecting and photographing a small satellite deployer mechanism. The mechanism failed to eject a pair of Cubesats two weeks ago and payload controllers are troubleshooting the issue.

During the afternoon, the duo got back together inside the U.S. Quest airlock and tried on the spacesuits they will wear on spacewalks scheduled for Oct. 28 and Nov. 6. They were assisted inside the airlock by Japanese astronaut Kimiya Yui and cosmonaut Sergey Volkov. Yui will guide the spacewalkers and operate the 57.7 foot Canadarm2 robotic arm during the spacewalks.

Expedition 45 crew members Kimiya Yui, Kjell Lindgren and Sergey Volkov work inside the Quest airlock to get a pair of spacesuits ready for upcoming spacewalks. Credit: NASA TV

The International Space Station crew is gearing up for a couple of spacewalks to service and upgrade the orbital laboratory. Meanwhile, the crew is also working long-term life science to improve life on Earth and in future space crews.

The U.S. Quest airlock is getting busy as NASA astronauts Scott Kelly and Kjell Lindgren get their spacesuits and tools ready for a pair of spacewalks set for Oct. 28 and Nov. 26. They are checking their suit electronics and safety systems and also building custom tools.

The first spacewalk is set to last six-hours and 30-minutes after Kelly and Lindgren set their spacesuits to battery power. The duo will exit Quest to place a thermal cover over a dark matter detection experiment, lubricate the 57.7 foot Canadarm2 robotic and route power cables for a future docking port.

The entire crew still continued the work of on-orbit science, the primary purpose of the space station. Cosmonaut Mikhail Kornienko, along with Kelly and Lindgren performed cardiac scans with an ultrasound for the Ocular Health study. Japanese astronaut Kimiya Yui set up a mouse habitat inside the Cell Biology Experiment Facility.

The deployment of two Cubesats is on hold after they failed to eject a couple of weeks ago. Also, more spacesuit servicing and biomedical investigations took place today.

The deployer mechanism that ejected 14 of 16 Cubesats is back inside the Kibo laboratory module’s airlock. Two of the Cubesats did not deploy due to a secondary latch mechanism that hung up inside a deployer slot.

Japanese astronaut Kimiya Yui scrubbed cooling loops inside the spacesuits that NASA astronauts Scott Kelly and Kjell Lindgren will wear on two upcoming spacewalks. Lindgren also collected and organized spacewalk tools he and Kelly will use during the Oct. 28 and Nov. 6 spacewalks. The duo will exit the U.S. Quest airlock to service and upgrade hardware outside the International Space Station.

The crew continued more biomedical studies today so scientists can learn how long-term missions affect humans in space. The International Space Station residents also reviewed procedures for a pair of upcoming spacewalks and conducted an emergency training session.

Commander Scott Kelly joined his fellow One-Year crew member Mikhail Kornienko and Japanese astronaut Kimiya Yui for vision tests and blood pressure checks as part of the Ocular Health study. That study, which has been ongoing since March 2013, observes the visual changes, vascular changes, and central nervous system changes that occur in crew members while living in space.

Kornienko also joined his fellow cosmonauts Sergey Volkov and Oleg Kononenko for heart evaluations while riding an exercise bicycle. They also explored crew motion disturbances in space and remote control of a robot from a spacecraft to the ground.

Kelly and Flight Engineer Kjell Lindgren are gearing up for a pair of spacewalks on Oct. 28 and Nov. 6. The duo joined Yui, who will choreograph the spacewalks from inside the station, for procedure reviews and a conference with specialists on the ground.

On the first spacewalk, Kelly and Lindgren will service the Canadarm2, route power cables and place a thermal shroud over the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer. During the second spacewalk, the pair will return the port truss cooling system back to its original configuration after repair work completed back in 2012.

Just before the 15th anniversary of continuous human presence on the International Space Station, NASA Astronaut Scott Kelly, is breaking spaceflight records. Today, Kelly begins his 383rd day living in space, surpassing U.S. astronaut Mike Fincke’s record of 382 cumulative days. Read more… http://go.nasa.gov/1LxDrvd

International Space Station Commander Scott Kelly set a new record today becoming the NASA astronaut with the most cumulative days in space, 383 days and counting. Mike Fincke, a two-time space station resident, was the previous record holder at 382 days. Kelly is scheduled to return to Earth on March 2, 2016, for a total of 522 days in space.

Meanwhile, the six-member Expedition 45 crew was working station maintenance, biomedical science and emergency training on Friday.

Kelly, was inside the Kibo laboratory module retrieving two CubeSat nanosatellites from the laboratory’s porch, using the Kibo airlock. His fellow NASA astronaut, Kjell Lindgren, joined Japanese astronaut Kimiya Yui for eye scans with an ultrasound and heart exams with an echocardiogram. Kelly then partnered with Lindgren practicing spacewalk rescue techniques using virtual reality goggles.

Cosmonaut Oleg Kononenko got together with Kelly for more eye checks using a Fundoscope. Flight Engineer Sergey Volkov installed a storage unit then serviced a video camera. Kelly’s fellow One-Year crew member, Mikhail Kornienko, worked on a radiation detection experiment before moving on to routine maintenance in the station’s Russian segment.

NASA astronaut Kjell Lindgren of Expedition 45 (left) provides a haircut to Russian cosmonaut Sergey Volkov (right) aboard the International Space Station. Not having a convienent barbershop 250 miles above the Earth, the crew helps each other out with a trimming of the locks from time to time.

The Expedition 45 residents worked on biomedical experiments Thursday observing how humans adapt to long-term missions in space. A pair of NASA astronauts is also getting ready for two upcoming spacewalks outside the International Space Station.

Commander Scott Kelly joined Flight Engineers Kjell Lindgren, Kimiya Yui and Oleg Kononenko for eye exams throughout the day as part of the ongoing Ocular Health study. Doctors on the ground assisted the crew with remote guidance. Cosmonauts Sergey Volkov and Mikhail Kornienko attached sensors to themselves and monitored their hearts while they exercised on a cycle device.

Meanwhile, Kelly and Lindgren are counting down to a pair of spacewalks, now targeted for Oct. 28 and Nov. 6. The duo serviced their spacesuits today replacing lithium batteries, checking their gloves and verifying power to video cameras.

On the first spacewalk, the spacewalkers will lubricate the tip of the robotic arm Canadarm2, route power cables and place a thermal shroud over the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer. During the second spacewalk, Kelly and Lindgren will refill coolant reservoirs and configure the port truss cooling system back to its original configuration after repair work completed back in 2012.

In two weeks, NASA astronauts Scott Kelly and Kjell Lindgren will step outside the U.S. Quest airlock for the first of two maintenance spacewalks. The International Space Station is also being readied to host the next Orbital ATK Cygnus cargo mission set for early December.

Japanese astronaut Kimiya Yui has been servicing the two spacesuits Kelly and Lindgren will wear on the two six-hour spacewalks scheduled for Oct. 28 and Nov. 6. The spacewalkers will lubricate the tip of the International Space Station’s robotic arm, Canadarm2. He and Lindgren started their day, though, with eye checks for the ongoing Ocular Health study.

Kelly and Lindgren have also been preparing the Unity module where the Cygnus commercial cargo craft will be attached when it arrives in December after a 14-month hiatus. Kelly installed a Unity power adapter in the Destiny lab module then joined Lindgren to adjust power connectors inside Unity.

The three cosmonauts continued their routine maintenance tasks and science experiments in the station’s Russian segment. Flight Engineer Sergey Volkov explored crystal magnetism, while Oleg Kononenko and Mikhail Kornienko studied how a crew member adapts to motion during a spaceflight.

NASA astronaut Kjell Lindgren prepares a fresh coffee using one of the specially designed cups used in the Capillary Beverage study.

The six-member Expedition 45 crew focused on human research and physics Tuesday as NASA prepares for deep space missions and learns how to live in space for longer periods. Two astronauts are also getting ready for a pair of maintenance spacewalks beginning at the end of the month.

Commander Scott Kelly and Flight Engineer Kjell Lindgren teamed up in the morning for the Body Measures experiment, a study that explores how microgravity affects a crew member’s body measurements over time. Lindgren then moved on to researching smart materials under magnetic conditions, potentially improving the design and strength of buildings and bridges on Earth. Kelly also explored how a long-term spaceflight influences spacecraft piloting abilities.

Japanese astronaut Kimiya Yui sampled the station’s water quality, worked on life support maintenance and replaced cable ropes on an exercise device. Yui also swapped out gear on a pair of U.S. spacesuits that Kelly and Lindgren will wear on two upcoming spacewalks, the first on Oct. 28 and the second on Nov. 6.

Veteran cosmonauts Sergey Volkov and Oleg Kononenko worked on two different crystal experiments, one of which studies liquid crystals and another that explores crystal magnetism. One-Year crew member Mikhail Kornienko worked on Russian maintenance tasks and monitored his blood pressure and heartbeat. He also took his turn, along with Kononenko, on the same Pilot experiment Kelly participated in Tuesday.